1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an illumination device which is mountable through an aperture in a sheet of material, which, for example, is an object of clothing, such as a hat, shirt or jacket, for example an incandescent lamp, light emitting diode (LED) or an array of LEDs within a housing which may be mounted through a hole in an article of clothing, to provide lighting for a wearer.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable lights have been used in the past with garments, including lights attached to headgear or other garment articles for illumination purposes. Based on its usage such as in a hat (or on a garment), the size, weight, weight distribution and access to the battery pack become characteristics that affect the overall usability of the portable light. See, U.S. D426,330; D127,785; D176,073; D214,943; D238,958; D275,523; D296,719; D300,868; D318,338; D320,667; D337,838; D362,080; D373,433; U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,995, D506,560; D399,580; D266,192; U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,104; D383,229; D491,713; D405,202; D447,586; D274,758; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,109,415; 1,914,429; 3,303,647; 3,032,647; 5,363,291; 5,541,816; 5,738,431; 5,741,060; 5,743,621; 6,183,116; 6,895,602; 6,467,929; 6,634,031; 5,680,718; 4,945,458; 4,916,596; 1,109,415; 4,827,384; 7,086,749; 6,733,150; 6,752,511; 6,932,487; 5,463,538; 5,154,483; 5,117,510; 4,794,496; 6,932,487; and 5,894,604, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
In headwear, any torque due to unbalanced masses may lead to sagging or slipping of the gear or object in which it is mounted out of alignment. Likewise, large batteries or other massive structures are undesirable. Protruding portions of the system, such as battery housings, lamp reflector housings, and the like, on the inside of a clothing object, may be uncomfortable. Adjustment opportunities for the beam axis on a clothing object has been limited in prior designs.
Various prior art light modules designed to clip or otherwise attach to clothing or headgear can become separated during use, or light modules attached to a head strap, may not stay in place or may be cumbersome and uncomfortable.
Another problem faced by the art is the switching mechanism, particularly in hat embodiments where the switch may be unseen by the user when sought to be actuated.